Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Children's books about Ethiopia (picture books)


When the World Began: Stories collected in Ethiopia  by Elizabeth Laird. A nice collection of folktales with beautiful illustrations. Some are Ethiopian versions of folktales that appear in many world cultures. ✭✭✭✭

Trouble (Amharic title: Teklei) by Jane Kurtz. Story of a boy's adventures as he watches over his goats. I have read this book approximately ten thousand times. Written in English and Amharic. ✭✭✭✭

The Beekeeper of Lalibela by Cristina Kessler. A girl is told that only men can keep bees; she proves them wrong. Written in English and Amharic. ✭✭✭

The Lion's Whiskers by Nancy Raines Day. Folktale about a stepparent learning that becoming a family takes patience. Beautiful illustrations. ✭✭✭✭

The Lion's Tail by Jane Kurtz. Same folktale, this time from the point of view of the stepchild. Written in English and Amharic. ✭✭✭✭

The Perfect Orange by Frank Araujo. Folktale about a selfless girl and a greedy hyena. Beautiful watercolors. ✭✭✭✭

Fire on the Mountain by Jane Kurtz. Folktale about a brave boy and a selfish man. Written in English and Amharic. ✭✭✭✭

Silly Mammo by Gebregeorgis Yohannes. Folktale about a silly guy. Good read-aloud. Written in English and Amharic. ✭✭✭✭

A Saint and His Lion: The Story of Tekla of Ethiopia by Elaine Murray Stone. A 13th century Ethiopian monk rides a lion and spreads Christianity. Warning: Oromo people are referred to as "wild tribesmen" and "fierce Gallas" (pejorative). ✭✭

The Story of Coffee by Sultan Mohamed. Tells the story of how coffee was first discovered in Ethiopia. ✭✭✭

Tsion's Life by Stacy Bellward. Informational book about the daily life of girl living in Addis Ababa. ✭✭✭✭

E is for Ethiopia by Ashenafi Gudeta, Betelhem Abate, Atakiti Mulu & Dama Boru. Alphabet book with a picture and word (some English, some Amharic) for each letter. Nice photos and interesting, positive information. ✭✭✭✭

Journey to Ethiopia with Captain Addis & Hanna by Salamawit Gizaw and Mimi Abraham. Information about Ethiopia told in story form. Could have used more editing, but my kids like it. ✭✭✭

Ethiopia: A Question and Answer Book by Mary Englar. Informational book about the geography, history, and people of Ethiopia. A little bit dry, but better than other "countries of the world" kinds of books about Ethiopia. ✭✭✭

My African Heritage by Shegitu Kiflom. Very small, basic book about Ethiopia and Eritrea. ✭✭

Only a Pigeon by Jane and Christopher Kurtz. The story of a boy raising pigeons in Addis Ababa is not very interesting, but there are really nice watercolors of life in the city. ✭✭✭

The Shadowed Road by Wili Liberman. Graphic novel set in modern-day Ethiopia about a girl who runs away from home to avoid being forced to marry. ✭✭✭

Yafi's Family: an Ethiopian boy's journey of love, loss, and adoption by Linda Pettitt, foreword by Melissa Fay Greene. An adoptive family in the U.S. talks about how their Ethiopian son came to be adopted and how he now has two families. Sensitively and respectfully written. ✭✭✭✭

Our First Amharic Words by Stacy Bellward. Beginning picture dictionary. ✭✭✭

1 comment:

  1. Hi, I'm really interested to make contact. My novel, which is set in Addis Ababa and deals with adoption will be published this year. Can you mail me? amehackett@hotmail.com Thanks! Alice

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